Overshoe heel protector



July 24, 1962 G. H. BINGHAM, JR 3,045,365

ovERsHoE HEEL PROTECTOR Filed Sept. l2, 1960 United States Patent Office I 3,045,365 vP.-..ai.al .lilly 24, 1962 3,045,365 OVERSHOE HEEL PROTECTOR George H. Bingham, Jr., Westminster, Md., assignor to Cambridge Rubber Company, Taneytown, Md., a corporation of Maryland Filed Sept. 12, 1960, Ser. No. 55,443 2 Claims. (Cl. 36-7.3)

This invention pertains to footwear, especially to 'waterproof overshoes or the like, including those having fabric, rubber or plastic uppers, and to an improved construction `designed to prolong the useful Ilife of the overshoe, particularly as respects its heel portion.

Within the past few years shoe Stylists have decreed that high- French heels for womens shoes shall taper downwardly to a tread portion of very small area, for example, of the order of one square centimeter, such eX- treme heels being commonly referred to as spike heels. Because the wear is concentrated on this small area, the leather top lift wears very rapidly and in order to prolong the wear of such a heel it has become customary to employ a steel top lift. Since, at each step, the shoe heel momentarily bears almost the entire weight of the wearer of the shoe, the resultant unit downward force with which such a metallic top lift strikes the ground is extremely high. The result is that when a shoe, having such heels, is worn with an overshoe, the area of the heel of the overshoe, which is contacted by the steel heel lift, is worn very rapidly and soon actually penetrated. Moreover, if a shoe having such a heel be worn in an overshoe designed to` receive a wider heel, the heel of the shoe may slip sidewise during walking until it actually penetrates the side wall of the overshoe. Because of this extremely rapid destruction of the overshoe as a useful article, wearers often believe that this is a result of faulty construction of the overshoe and call upon the overshoe manufacturer to make a refund, and this practice has become so general that the overshoe manufacturers have suffered very substantial losses.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide means for protecting the heel of a yconventional overshoe or the like from the rapid wear or puncture occasioned by a shoe heel having a very small tread surface or top lift, such as that of the so-called spike heel. Further objects include the provision of protective means, not only for the bottom of the heel of the overshoe, but also for the lateral walls at its heel portion; to provide a device -which may be independent of the overshoe with which it is associated in-use, so that no modification of the overshoe or its manufacture is required; and to provide a protective device which is so designed as to facilitate wearing of the overshoe with different shoes having varying height and sizes of heel. `Other and further objects and advantages of the invention wil-l be pointed out in the following more detailed description and by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. l is a plan view of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a section taken on the line 2 2 of FIG. l;

FIG. V3 is a side elevation, to reduced scale and with parts in section, illustrating the disposition of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 lwithin the heel of an overshoe;

FIG. 4 is a plan View of a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a third embodiment;

FIG. 7 is asection taken on the line 7e-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a section of the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 taken in t-he plane of the line 8 5 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation of a fourth embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a section on the line 10-10 of FIG. 9; FIG. 11 is a vertical section taken on the line 11--11 of FIG. l0;

FIG. l2 is a view similar to FIG. l1 illustrating a G and a heel H, the latter being hollow for the reception of a high heel IF, such as a French heel, and forming part of a shoe with which the overshoe is to be worn. The heel F is shown in FIG. 3 in Ibroken lines and terminates ina steel tip or top llift T.

The protective devices of the presentinvention are designed to be placed within the hollow heel H of the overshoe and to protect said heel from damage by the heel of the shoe with -which the overshoe is worn. The devices are of a hollow, shell-like structure, desirably unitary and Iformed, .for example, by a molding operation. While other materials may be employed, it is preferred to employ a synthetic plastic of a type which, when fully cured, is hard, tough, resiliently shape-retaining, and wear-resistant. Such plastics are 'commercially available and may be obtained from plastic manufacturers upon request.

As illustrated in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, protector P comprises a peripheral wall 2t), a bottom or tread portion 21, and a shoulder 22 around the interior periphery of tread portion 21. Shoulder 22, together with the interior surface of tread portion 21, defines a cavity 23 adapted to receive the tip of a French heel F, including its lower peripheral wall, and has a substantially at upper sunface 24. The peripheral wall 2l) is provided with upstanding, inwardly projecting ribs 25 and horizontal exterior ribs l26. Ribs 26 are optional but are preferred to aid in frictionally retaining the protector P within the hollow overshoe heel H.

Tread portion 2l of protector P serves to protect the bottom or tread portion of overshoe heel H from puncture. However it has been found that heel 1F not only tends to wear through such tread portion but also has a marked tendency to cut through the side walls of overshoe heel H, especially where the heel H is larger than the s-hoe heel F. Accordingly, the greater peripheral thickness of material provided by shoulder 22 of protector P serves to protect `such heel side walls from wear and puncture. 4Since shoulder 22 has a substantially liat upper surface 24, the shoulder serves an additional function in providing a support area for the heel of another or second shoe having a langer heel tread surface and a shorter length. Interior ribs 25 terminate at surface 24 and provide additional peripheral support to prevent the heel Vof the second shoe from puncturing the side walls of protector P and overshoe heel H above the sur-face 24. `Accordingly, protector P serves not only to protect the heel of Vovershoe H from wear Vand puncture', but adapts an overshoe ttor wear by shoes of different heel styles.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, peripheral wall 20 and shoulder 22 extend across .the front or breast area of the protector. However, it has been found that there is very little tendency for shoe heels to wear through the overshoe at the front portion of the heel. Consequently, such front portions of the wall 20 or of the shoulder 22, or both, can be omitted, if desired, as illustrated in the embodiments shown in .FIGS 4 and 13.

While the protector P is so designed that it constitutes a separate article of manufacture and sale, for insertion by the manufacturer, distributor or user within the heel of an otherwise conventional overshoe, the protector can be inserted within the overshoe during its manufacture, if desired, so as to constitute a part of the finished overshoe. For example, when the overshoe S is made of plastic by the conventional slush molding technique, the protector P may be inserted within the hollow shell of the heel after the layer of plastic has been gelled on the wall of the mold and excess plastic removed, and before the boot is Ifused. Fusion will thereafter bond the protector to the overshoe.

The modified protector P2 illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 has a peripheral wall a which extends around the rear and side walls of the device, and hence protects the side and rear walls of heel H, but does not extend across the front. Similarly, shoulder 22a extends around the rear `and side walls only of protector P2. As also illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, interior ribs 2S and exterior ribs 26 can be omitted if desired.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6-8, applicants invention comprises a third modification lP3 wherein shoulder 22 is omitted. In this embodiment, the shoulder is omitted and the peripheral wall 2Gb extends completely around the device and terminates in a lower wall 2lb which serves as a protective tread portion. Vertical ribs 2Sb extend around the interior of wall 2011 to restrain the circumferential edge of heel top lift T and thereby protect the side walls of the heel H from puncture.

A fourth embodiment of the protector, particularly adapted for fabrication from sheet plastic by vacuum forming, is shown in FIGS. 9-11. Protector P4 comprises a peripheral wall 20c and a lbottom 21e of substantially uniform thickness. The lower portion of wall 20c, adjacent bottom 21e, is undercut or recessed to provide a cavity 27, the upper plane thereof being defined by inwardly projecting edge 27a. Cavity 27 contains an insert 28 of hard, wear-resistant material, for example, a suitably compounded vinyl plastisol applied as a liquid and hardened in situ, which supports the bottom surface of top lift T. Wall 20c is provided with a series of vertical ribs e, formed as corrugations in the material of wall 20c, which terminate at edge 27a. Preferably, the upper surface of insert 28 is located somewhat below edge 27a so as to provide a horizontal recess 29 around the rear and side wall of the protector. Recess 29 provides space to receive the lower edge of top lift T without contact with wall 20c, ribs 25C and edge 27a contacting the heel somewhat above its bottom edge to limit its lateral movement.

In FIG. 12, a slight modification of protector P4 is illustrated wherein the wear-resistant insert 28a fills only the lower portion of recess 27, the upper portion above tread material 28a being lilled with a second horseshoeshaped insert 30 of Wear-resistant material forming a shoulder 22e similar to shoulder 22.

A final embodiment P5 of the protector is illustrated in FIG. 13 again adapted for manufacture from sheet material and comprising a peripheral wall 20d around `the rear and side portions of the protector and terminating in a bottom portion 21d. Wall 20d is provided with a -series of horizontal, inwardly projecting corrugations or ribs 31 Iwhich serve to contact heel F above its extreme lower tip to permit the latter from puncturing Wall 20d or heel H. The lowermost rib 31 is spaced above the 4i upper surface of a wear-resistant insert 32 contained within a recess 27d just above bottom portion 21d so as to provide a recess 29d adapted to receive the lowerrnost peripheral edge of tie top lift T.

In all of the embodiments illustrated, the outer surface of the protector is designed to be of a shape and size to conform closely to and to fit snugly within the interior of the heel H and the bottom surface of the protector is designed to rest upon the bottom of a heel of the overshoe.

The protective device of the present invention can be made relatively cheaply in mass production for utilization by the manufacturers of footwear or for direct distribution to the user thereof. While as above noted, it is contemplated that plastic material will ordinarily be used in making these protective devices, it is contemplated that they may be made, if desired, of metal, for example aluminum, or molded from fibrous material suitably bonded together and it is to Ibe understood that such modifications are to be considered as within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It should be further understood that the foregoing description is for the purpose of illustration and that the invention includes all modifications falling within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A protector for use in an overshoe worn with a shoe whose heel has a top lift of such size and material that it tends to damage the heel portion of an overshoe, said protector comprising a hollow shell whose outer sur- 'face is of a shape and size to conform closely with at least the lower portion of the rear and sides of the heel portion of the overshoe when installed therein, and which includes a tread portion of wear-resistant material designed to rest upon the bottom of the heel of the overshoe, the interior of the shell having a shoulder of material projecting upwardly around at least the side and rear edges of said tread portion, said shoulder having a substantially vertical inner surface and a flat top adapt ed to support the heel of a second shoe having a heel base of greater area.

2. A protector according to claim 1 wherein said shell has interior lribs disposed about at least its rear and side wall and which terminate at said shoulder, the top of said shoulder being substantially wider than said ribs so as to provide sufficient surface to support the heel of said second shoe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,058,857 Glidden Apr. 15, 1913 1,105,270 Grosky July 28, 1914 1,119,277 Gross Dec. 1, 1914 2,108,572 Wilkinson Feb. 15, 1938 2,142,981 Richards Jan. 3, 1939 2,408,564 Lea Oct. l, 1946 2,946,139 Slade July 26, 1960 2,966,749 Loewengart Ian. 3, 1961 2,977,691 Brown Apr. 4, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,233,694 France May 9, 1960 

